MCTAVISH LEADS BULLDOGS TO 5-3 SUNDAY WIN
HAMILTON, ONTARIO. A long travel weekend for the Hamilton Bulldogs wrapped up on Sunday evening with a trip to Oshawa to take on the Generals for the final time in the regular season.
The Bulldogs controlled the majority of the opening frame, outshooting the Generals 12-3 for the period and holding a wide attacking territorial advantage. With the Bulldogs buzzing the goal of Patrick Leaver, they broke through at 8:24 as Lawson Sherk shovelled the puck back to the right point to Gavin White for a shot that Ryan Winterton was able to tip past Leaver for his 19th of the season. Ryan Humphrey nearly doubled the Bulldogs lead just a couple minutes later as Jan Mysak rolled the puck out front of the Oshawa goal and Leaver looking to the wrong side, but the open net bid was blocked by the stick of the Generals back checking centre Callum Ritchie. Marco Costantini wasn’t overly troubled in the opening period stopping all 3 shots he faced with one of them being a short break in from Brett Harrison at the top of the left circle that he turned aside with the blocker sending the Bulldogs to the room with a 1-0 lead.
Pressing their advantage in the second period, the Bulldogs continued the season long trend of the middle frame being their best. After navigating through some early penalty trouble, including a 10-minute misconduct to Artem Grushnikov and a brief absence of Jan Mysak, the Bulldogs offence was able to get to work. After Ryan Humphrey knocked the puck to the right corner for Mason McTavish he danced to the front of the Generals goal, getting Leaver down and having the puck roll to Avery Hayes, depositing his 39th of the season at 11:36 giving the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. After a goal-mouth battle put the Bulldogs on the power-play, the deliverer became the scorer as 9-seconds into the man advantage Nathan Staios slid the puck to the right circle for a McTavish one-timer into the upper region of the Oshawa net, giving the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead at 15:59 on McTavish’s 20th of the year. Marco Costantini was busier in the middle frame, turning aside 8 Generals shots with his finest coming off a left circle Ty Tullio drive that Costantini wasn’t even able to get fully set on and still battled aside, keeping the Bulldogs up 3-0 through 40 minutes.
The final 20 minutes ended up a wild ride as both the Generals and Bulldogs put on a show for the fans. Marco Costantini’s shutout streak against the Generals was broken at 174:54 as after a pair of absolutely ridiculous split saves shorthanded, Ryan Gagnier rolled a Ty Tullio past the Bulldogs goaltender to make it 3-1 at 6:23. The Bulldogs responded at 9:06 with Ryan Winteron controlling the puck left and feeding middle for McTavish in turn going back door for George Diaco’s 22nd of the year on a tic-tac-goal. Oshawa fought back in hard with Ty Tullio scoring at 14:40 and Gagnier recording his 2nd of the game at 18:11 to make it 4-3. With the Oshawa net empty, Mark Duarte off a Ryan Humphrey feed put an exclamation point on the win at 18:37 securing the Bulldogs 5-3 victory, their 48th of the year.
The Hamilton Bulldogs are back in action on Thursday, April 14th, closing out a 3-game road trip at Sadlon Arena in Barrie with a 7:30 puck drop.
For more information on Hamilton Bulldogs 2021-22 season tickets, flex packs or single game tickets call 905-529-8500 or visit hamiltonbulldogs.com
